Psychology Facts

▲ Emotion ▲

》Emotions are conscious mental reactions (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feelings usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body.

》Defining emotions is a task that is not yet complete. Many researchers are still proposing theories about what makes up our emotions, and existing theories are constantly being challenged. Still, there's a good basis of knowledge to analyze when exploring the topic.

》Emotions are often confused with feelings and moods, but the three terms are not interchangeable. Feelings arise from an emotional experience. A mood is  by the APA as "any short-lived emotional state, usually of low intensity."

》List of the six basic emotions

Sadness
Happiness
Fear
Anger
Surprise
Disgust

》Emotions can also be categorized based on whether they are primary or secondary.

Primary emotions are the emotions that humans experience universally. There are different theories as to what these specific emotions are, but they often include happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and surprise. Secondary emotions stem from—and are variations of—primary emotions. Sometimes, we have secondary emotions in response to our primary emotions (i.e., "I'm frustrated that I'm so sad"). Secondary emotions may include frustration, pride, envy, and jealousy.

》Theories of Emotion

Charles Darwin proposed the  of emotion, which suggests that emotions are adaptive to our environment and improve our chances of survival.

James-Lange Theory maintains that our physical responses are responsible for emotion. If someone sneaks up on you and shouts, for instance, your heart rate increases, causing you to feel fear.

The Cannon-Bard Theory refutes the James-Lange theory, asserting that people experience emotional and physiological responses at the same time, with each response acting independently.

The Schachter - Singer theory is a cognitive theory of emotion that suggests our thoughts are actually responsible for emotions. Similar to this theory is the cognitive appraisal theory. It posits that someone must first think before experiencing an emotion

》Men experience a similar amount of emotions as women. Women are just taught to express emotions differently and more often.

》Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions as well as effectively navigate and respond to the emotions of others. Developing emotional intelligence can enhance interpersonal relationships and promote overall well-being.

》Love is not an emotion. It's an attachment within which you can experience a lot of emotions or moods: joy, awe, anger, worry...

》Emotions are universal. Facial expressions of New Yorkers and Papuans are the same when experiencing the same emotions.

》You have 43 facial muscles expressing the whole spectrum of emotions.

》10% of the population don't know how they feel. It's a severe dysfunction called alexithymia — an inability to describe one's emotions in words, thus distinguishing emotions and understanding the emotional states of others. You can test yourself for alexithymia.